Cabbie
by TheHopelessShipper
Summary: Robbie likes Cat, but she is completely unaware. Despite Robbie's reluctance, Andre, Tori, and Beck try to get them together. / Have save Victorious! Go to ipetitions dot com slash petitions slash victorious


**Author Note: This is the first fanfic I've written, ever! I tried to stay true to the characters and make it seem like this could really be an episode of Victorious. Have I succeeded? As you're reading, try to imagine the characters acting out the scenes in an actual show. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy it! (P.S. When it says Tori's Phone in italics, that's like when it shows her PearPad thing typing her status. Also, the - indicate a scene change.)**

It was the end of the day at Hollywood Arts High School. Students milled about, talking and laughing with their friends, visiting lockers, and dancing and listening to music. Red-haired Cat Valentine was pacing in front of the lockers in the main hall, looking worried. She occasionally stopped a student, asking them something, making wild hand gestures and showing them something on a piece of paper. The student would shake their head no and quickly walk away.

Robbie Shapiro stands at the other end of the hall by his own locker, holding his puppet, Rex. As a slightly awkward teenage boy, the rest of the students seemed to keep their distance from him, though Robbie didn't notice. He's watching Cat with a sad expression on his glasses-covered face.

Looking at his phone, Andre Harris approaches Robbie. "Hey, what's up, Robbie," he says with a tilt of his chin, more like a statement than a question.

Robbie sighs. "Nothing."

"He's staring at Cat."

"REX!" Robbie growls.

Andre looks over at Cat, who is still pacing. "Why?"

"Well, for history class we have to work with a partner and act out an important scene from history. I want to ask Cat to be my partner, but she might already have one…"

Andre's phone beeps and he reads the text. Not seeing what the big deal is, he starts to walk away while saying, "Just ask her."

"Wait!" Robbie slams his locker shut and rushes to stop Andre. "Will you ask her for me?"

Andre groans. "_Why?"_

"Because if she says no, I don't want to look like a fool! It won't matter if YOU ask her! You're a cool, confident person! I'm just….me." He looks down, ashamed.

"You already look like a fool, man!" Rex says, and laughs. Andre gives Rex a weird look, then says to Robbie, "Why does it matter if you look like a fool? It's just Cat." Then he grins. "Ohhh, ha ha, wait a minute! You like Cat!" He nudges Robbie's arm. "Good for you, man!" Then the smile leaves his face. "Why?"

"I don't like her!" Robbie protests at the same time Rex sings, "He looooves her." "Hush!" Robbie replies. "I don't know, I mean, sure, sometimes she acts all silly, but I think she's cute, you know? But promise you won't tell anyone!"

"Calm your chizz, I won't….just ask her yourself," Andre says. "You're a big boy, you can do it." He laughs to himself. Robbie and Rex stay silent. Andre walks away.

"Wait!" Robbie yells, wishing Andre hadn't left him. "I'm not a _boy_!" Sikowitz, the acting teacher at Hollywood Arts, briskly walks by and calls out to Robbie. "Thou shalt not lie!"

"Ughh!" groans Robbie. Shaking his head, he walks over to Cat.

"Uh, hey Cat."

"Hi," Cat says sadly in her sing-song voice.

"What's wrong?"

"I lost my giraffe…." Cat pouts. "He's been missing for three days and I looked everywhere for him! I even made a poster!" She holds up a slightly crumpled piece of paper. At the top in huge black letters it says, "LOST GIRRAFFE" and beneath it is a picture of Cat, wide-eyed and immensely cute, kissing the top of her stuffed animal's head. Beneath the picture it says, "Answers to Mr. Longneck. Reward if found. Please help!"

"Well, have you tried retracing your steps?" suggests Robbie.

Cat's face breaks into a smile. "Oh, good idea! Thanks, Robbie!" she starts to walk away, but Robbie calls after her.

"Wait, Cat. I uh, well I was wondering if you, I mean, if, for history class, um, do you want to be my partner?" he rushes the last part.

"Sure!" Cat answers cheerfully.

Robbie is surprised. "You don't already have a partner?"

"No…" she bows her head and looks sheepish, playing with her hands. "I was afraid no one wanted to work with me, so I didn't ask anyone."

Robbie doesn't quite know what to say to this. Luckily, Cat starts talking right away again. "Can we work at your house, this weekend? My brother is on his special medicine again, and my mom won't let anyone in the house."

"Okay," Robbie replies. "See ya then." He tries to act cool while saying this, but Cat just giggles and walks away.

"Man, you love her," teases Rex.

"Stop it!"

"Your hand got all sweaty when you were talking to her. It was not something I'd like to repeat."

Robbie casually walks over to his locker and stuffs Rex inside.

-[Opening credits/theme song] _Tori's phone: "Time for lunch! SO hungry. But while Beck's getting his food I have to wait with the Witch (aka JADE). Mood: Famished"_

Tori Vega and Jade West sit at a lunch table in the Asphalt Café, as far away from each other they can possibly be. Tori tries to ignore Jade's death stares while they wait for Beck to come back with his food.

"What?" Tori finally exclaims, throwing down her French fry. "WHY are you staring at me like that?"

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Jade mimics, in her representation of Tori's voice.

Tori leans over the table and talks slowly. "I don't talk like th—"

"Hi guys!" Cat greets the girls as she sets down her backpack and sits down. "Where's Beck?"

"Getting his lunch from the Grub Truck," answers Tori, nodding her head towards the truck where Trina is arguing with Festus. Beck is behind her, patiently waiting. He waves at the girls, and Cat giggles and waves back.

"Hey, do you wanna come see the dress rehearsal for a show I'm in this weekend at the Garage Place?" Jade says suddenly, directing her question towards Cat. She waves her water bottle in the air as she talks.

Cat gasps. "Oh my God, the Garage Place?" Jade nods, smug.

"What's the Garage Place?" Tori looks at Cat and then at Jade. Jade groans loudly, overly annoyed.

"The Garage Place is an _awesome_ theater where only really good performers can get into. It's like just one step below actually being famous. You have to be _really_ talented to get in," explains Cat. Then she turns to Jade. "How did you manage to get a part at the Garage Place?"

Jade takes a sip of water before answering. "Didn't you JUST say you have to be REALLY talented to perform there?" she says slowly, as if talking to a little kid. "Do you guys wanna watch the rehearsal or not? You should come because tickets are really expensive for the actual show."

"I'd love to!" Tori starts. "I want to see what this place is like. Do you think you could get me a discount for-"

"No," Jade cuts her off. "Cat?"

She shakes her head. "I can't. Robbie and I are working on a history project at his house this weekend."

Tori and Jade look slightly disgusted. "I wonder what his house looks like," Tori says, frowning.

Jade says thoughtfully, "I wonder if he has any old puppets there. You know, like ones from when he was a kid but got sick of. Man, I'd love to just cut up a bunch of those puppet parts, make 'em look all bloody…."

Cat and Tori stare at her. Beck finally arrives and sets his tray down on the table. "I miss anything?"

Tori shudders. "You don't want to know."

-[Scene change]

Robbie rushes around his house, fluffing and re-fluffing the pillows on his couch, checking the kitchen to make sure the cupcakes he baked earlier look good, and keeping Rex and his parents far away from the living room where he and Cat will be working.

"Robbie, do you need anything?" calls his mom from another room.

"No, leave me alone, please!" Robbie screeches. He's nervous. The girl he has a crush on will be at his house in less than ten minutes and he doesn't want to make himself look stupid. He wants this to be perfect. Hopefully, everything will go according to his plans and Cat will like him back by the end of the day.

There's a knock at the door. Robbie opens it and sees Cat standing there, smiling, and holding a large purse. Robbie finds himself in a trance, staring at Cat, who is wearing a classic Cat outfit: anything pink, with an abundance of jewelry. Robbie plays with the thought of taking Cat in his arms right there, and kissing her. "Hiiii! I'm at your house, ha ha! Can I come in?" Cat asks with a big smile, interrupting Robbie's daydream. Without waiting for an answer she walks through the door and looks around the house.

"I like your…..couch," Cat says politely.

"Thanks," Robbie replies uncomfortably, knowing full well that Cat doesn't really mean it. His house_ is_ kind of hideous.

Cat goes and sits down on Robbie's couch, her purse on her lap, gazing around, and acting as if Robbie wasn't even there. She's lost in a typical Cat dreamland. Finally, Robbie breaks the silence. "Cat. Cat? CAT!"

"Whaty?" she says innocently.

"The project?"

"Oh yeah! OK, I was thinking we should do something really easy like Abraham Lincoln getting shot. I mean, he has a tall hat and a beard, and…." She stops talking and giggles.

"Why are you giggling?" asks Robbie, slightly amused.

"I just remembered a picture I saw once of a little dog with a beard! Ha ha ha ha! Dogs don't have beards!" She continued to giggle.

-[Scene change]

It's the last dress rehearsal before opening night at the Garage Place. Jade, Tori, Beck, and Andre are all backstage.

"Oh my God, look, they have a snack table!" exclaims Tori. She rushes over and grabs a brownie. Jade rolls her eyes.

"So what part are you?" asks Andre.

Beck puts his arm around Jade, who is already in costume. "She has a big part, right?" He says proudly.

"I'm the wicked cousin who tries to kill her neighbor," Jade explains casually.

Andre shakes his head. "Of course."

"You know, this is a pretty nice place," says Beck, walking out onto the stage with his hands in his pockets. The theatre is huge, with a long, wide stage and thousands of seats. "I can't believe there's going to be so many people here next week. Did the show really sell out for all three nights?"

"Yep."

Andre joins Beck. "Man, this is the chizz. Just imagine, the ENTIRE auditorium filled with people, staring at the stage, watching your every move, all of them waiting to see a play just as good as Broadway. Yeah, there's no room for mistakes here, because everyone will see you mess up and—"

"We get it!" Jade yells frantically, cutting him off. Andre, surprised, puts his hands up in an "I surrender" way.

"Awwww, does widdle Jade haf stage fwight?" Tori coos in baby voice.

Jade lunges at Tori, pulling her hair and trying to kick her. Andre and Beck rush to the girls' aid.

A moment later, Beck is holding Jade's arms; she continues to try to grab Tori. Andre has his arms wrapped around Tori. Tori's hair is covering her face, but she blows it out of the way. She points at Jade. "She-she tried, she tried to kill me!" she exclaims, out of breath.

"It's okay, it's okay, it's over now," Andre says soothingly, his arms still wrapped around Tori.

Jade growls, and Tori shrieks and turns her head, laying it on Andre's chest, cowering from Jade. Beck simply raises his eyebrows at Andre, who shrugs and mouths the words, "I don't know".

-[Scene change]

"Ohhhkay, I have cupcakes!" Robbie says, swooping into the living room and carrying a platter of pink frosted cupcakes.

"Yay!" Cat squeals and plucks a cupcake off the tray.

Robbie sits down close to Cat, watching her. She doesn't notice. Cat is really enjoying her cupcake; she laughs to herself, but then accidently drops the cupcake on the couch.

"Oh no, there's frosting on your couch…oh well…" She says cheerfully, still laughing a bit to herself.

"Oh, it's OK, hold on…." He turns around, looking for the paper towels. There is one roll in front of Cat, but Robbie grabs a kitchen towel instead. Cat rips a sheet of the roll. They both reach to clean up the same spot, then realize how close they are. Both of their heads are bent, almost touching. Cat and Robbie are frozen, staring at each other. Cat's eyes are wide. She breaks into a smile. "Hiiiii!"

_This is it, you gotta make a move!_ thinks Robbie. However, he is too afraid that Cat will reject him, so he stays still.

Cat's phone beeps, and the moment is broken. She barely glances at the phone before exclaiming, "Oh, I have to go home. Sorrybyeseeyoulater!" She hurriedly grabs her purse and rushes out the door, slamming it closed behind her.

Robbie slumps down on the couch. "She didn't even look at her text," he says aloud. "She just wanted an excuse to get out of here." He curls up in a ball cries into a pillow.

_-Tori's phone: "At the Garage Place-Jade attacked me earlier. But this place is still so cool! Did you know Johnny Depp performed here once? Mood: Joyful" _

"You never loved him!"

"That doesn't mean you had to kill him!"

"Why does it matter? It's over now! It's done. We're done!"

Jade storms around on stage. It's near the end of the dress rehearsal, and Jade's character has just killed her neighbor, who is also her best friend's boyfriend. Andre, Beck, and Tori stand off to the side, backstage, watching.

"She's good," whispers Andre. Beck, who's arms are folded across his chest, smiles and nods.

"Eh," mumbles Tori, still angry about the assault from Jade earlier.

The rehearsal ends and the curtains fall. There's a smattering of claps—there aren't that many people watching since it's only a run through—and Jade walks offstage. She heads right over to Beck and kisses him, her hand on his shoulder. Beck uncrosses his arms and leans forward. Tori rolls her eyes.

"You did awesome, Baby," says Beck when they break apart.

"Yeah, but it wasn't perfect. It has to be perfect. _I_ have to be perfect."

"How come?"

"You heard what Andre said earlier! There's going to be tons of people out there tomorrow night, I can't mess up!"

"Calm down," says Beck. "Just, chill." He puts his hands on her shoulders and turns her to face him. "OK?"

Jade opens her mouth to say something but can't speak. She begins to cry and falls into Beck. Andre and Tori stare at each other. What's wrong with Jade?

-[Scene change]

It's Monday morning at Hollywood Arts. Nobody seems to be in a good mood. Jade is hiding from everyone. Robbie is half avoiding Cat, and half hoping she will talk to him. Cat is nowhere to be seen, and Beck is looking for Jade. Andre and Tori, without anything better to do, are trying to get Robbie to tell them what's wrong.

"C'mon man, tell us what happened," Andre encourages.

"Yeah," Tori says sympathetically, putting some things in her locker. "It is something with Cat?"

"You told her?" Robbie yells. Andre shrugs.

"Did wittle Wobbie get his heart bwoken—"

"_Enough_ with the baby voice!"

"Sorry."

"Hi Tori, Tori's friends!" Trina calls merrily as she struts past the friends.

"Wait! Wai-wai-wai-wai-wait!" Tori runs after her. "Have you seen Cat anywhere?"

"Yeah, actually I just saw her in the Blackbox theatre. She was just sitting alone on the floor. She looked so sad, poor thing!"

"Did she say why she was sad?" Robbie cuts in.

Trina makes a face. "No, I didn't talk to her!" She walks away.

"What's wrong with Cat?" Andre wonders.

Tori starts to leave. "I don't know, but I'm gonna go talk to her," she calls over her shoulder.

-[Scene change]

Tori peeks into the Blackbox theatre and spots Cat leaning against the wall, on the floor, staring down at her lap. "Cat?" she calls softly. "Are you okay?"

Cat doesn't answer; Tori cautiously approaches her. "Caaaat, I brought your favorite." She holds out a can of Wahoo Punch. Cat still doesn't move.

"Come on, talk to me! What's wrong?" Tori sits down next to her. "Lemme see you smile!" She pokes Cat in the side, who can't help but laugh. "What's up?"

"Well," Cat turns to face Tori, "I was at Robbie's house last Saturday, you know, working on the project. And he had these pink cupcakes! And they were sooo good! And—and I—" She starts to snicker again.

"What?"

"Ha ha, I just started thinking about the dog with the beard! I saw it on the internet, ha ha….but it was so wrong! Dog aren't supposed to have beards! Ha ha ha!"

"Cat!" Tori says in frustration. "Focus!"

"Sorry. Well anyway, I accidently dropped my cupcake on his ugly couch, so I started to clean it up, but then so did Robbie, and, well, we were _really_ close together."

"How close?"

Cat holds up her hands about two inches apart. Tori shudders. "Ew."

"I thought Robbie was going to say something, but before he could my mom texted me saying she was going to the store, to get more medicine for my brother. And that's when it hit me! I must have left my giraffe at the store! Because I remembered there was this cute old lady buying a 12-pack of Wahoo Punch, but she dropped her wallet and all the coins rolled away, so I went to help her. But she hit me with her cane! I think she thought I was a thief. So I ran away! But I don't think I took my giraffe; I must have left him on the floor by the checkout counter or something."

"So did you find it?"

Cat shakes her head sadly. "No…he's still missing. Where could he be?"

Tori suddenly stands up. "Wait, so that's why you're sad?"

"Yeah."

"Not because of a….boy?"

"No, why would it be?" Cat smiles and shrugs.

"Oh….uh….nothing….I don't know anything!" Tori runs out of the theater. A moment later, behind the closed door, Cat hears Tori yell, "Anything!" again. She shakes her head.

_-Tori's phone: "Just found out some interesting news. I hope Robbie doesn't feel too bad. Mood: Worried"_

"So it doesn't have anything to do with Robbie," Andre confirms. He, Robbie, Rex, and Tori are hanging out in Sikowitz's classroom. It was the only place they would find where they could be alone, and talk without any interruptions. Even their teacher isn't there.

"Yeah, she's just sad 'cause she can't find her little stuffed animal."

"Aw, man!" Robbie groans. "I feel stupid."

"You ARE stupid." This, from Rex. Robbie shakes him angrily. "Hey man, don't shake me! I don't like it when my legs jiggle like that!" Tori looks at Rex in disgust.

"I'm right back to the beginning," Robbie says gloomily. "Cat doesn't even know that I like her."

"You should tell her," says Andre. "What's the worse that could happen?"

Robbie imagines the scene:

_Robbie saunters down the hall. His hair is slicked back with hair gel, and he's wearing a white T-shirt, a leather jacket, and tight jeans. He still has his glasses but Rex is no where to be seen. Robbie approaches Cat and leans against the wall._

"_Hey there, pretty lady, wanna go on a date with the fabulous me?" Robbie says smoothly, winking at Cat._

_Cat, who is wearing a pink dress and a huge pink bow in her curled hair, turns away from her locker and laughs in Robbie's face. "You? YOU? Ha ha ha ha ha! Why would I want to go on a date with you?" She laughs hysterically while Robbie stands there, his arms hanging limply as his sides. The rest of the students gather around and laugh and point at Robbie. Cat slowly backs up, and, still laughing, disappears into the crowd. People begin to throw things at Robbie; a shoe, an orange, crumpled wads of paper. Jade suddenly emerges from the crowd and stands in front of Robbie, now cowering on the floor._

_Hands on hips, she yells, "Get up!" and kicks his leg. Robbie curls into a ball. The students continue to laugh and throw things and Jade continues to kick him. Cat is nowhere to be seen._

Tori and Andre stare at Robbie, who looks terrified.

"Come on…it wouldn't be that bad," Andre tries to say as if Robbie has crazy daydreams like this everyday—which he very well might.

"Give it a try! You need to tell her sooner or later."

"Yeah, well, I choose never." With that, Robbie storms out of the classroom, leaving behind a hopeless Tori and Andre.

-[Scene change]

The weekend has finally come to Hollywood Arts. It's the end of the day, though there are still many students around. Tori, Andre, and Robbie are standing on the stairs in the main hall, leaning against the railing. Beck rushes up to them.

"Guys, I figured out what was wrong with Jade."

"What?" the friends cry out in unison. They run down the stairs to meet Beck.

Beck runs his hand through his hair. "She has stage fright."

Everyone is silent. "Wait, what?" asks Tori.

"She got freaked out at her dress rehearsal; she's afraid of performing in front of such a big crowd. She's never done that before. She wants to quit the play!"

"Jade? Has stage fright?" murmurs Robbie.

"She can't do that!" exclaims Andre. "She has such a big part, and she might never get the chance to perform at the Garage Place again!"

"Huh. Too bad," Tori says flatly, not concerned.

"She thinks not performing is better than messing up on stage," explains Beck. "If she makes a mistake, she doesn't want anyone to see it. Jade doesn't like performing unless she does really well. But still…."

"Well, did you try to talk her out of it?" asks Andre.

"Yeah. She uh, threw this at me." He holds up a black hoodie rolled into a tight ball, not sure what to do with it.

Cat walks around the corner just then, happily carrying her stuffed giraffe. "Hey, there's Cat." Andre points in her direction.

"I'm out of here." Robbie starts to walk away. "Wimp," replies Rex.

"Oh no you don't," says Tori. She grabs the strap on Robbie's backpack and pulls him back. "You and Cat need to talk."

"You haven't told Cat yet that you like her?" says Beck.

"Be quiet! She might hear you!" Robbie whispers loudly.

Cat finally approaches them. "Hi everyone!" She smiles cheerfully.

Tori puts her hand on Robbie's shoulder and pushes him forward an inch—he won't move any further. "Um, Cat, Robbie has something he wants to tell you." Robbie freezes, and his eyes go huge. Then he abruptly runs away.

"We'll get him," says Andre, and he and Beck dart after Robbie.

"What's going on?" Cat is confused.

Tori takes a deep breath. She leads Cat over to the stairs and they both sit down. Cat smoothes her skirt and then sets her giraffe on her lap, stroking it lovingly. Tori just looks at it for a moment, but doesn't acknowledge the stuffed animal out loud. There are more important things to worry about. "You know how you and Robbie are working together in your history class? Well, he asked you to be his partner because he likes you."

Cat nods slowly, not understanding.

"He likes you a _lot_."

Cat frowns.

Tori throws her hands up in frustration. "Cat!"

"Whaty?"

"Robbie like-likes you!" Tori exclaims, jumping up. "He's just afraid to tell you! When you were at his house last weekend, and you were both sitting on the couch, well, he wanted to kiss you, but was too scared. Then you ran out so fast, he thought the text from your mom was just an excuse to get out of there. He's _heart_broken!"

Cat is silent. She looks down, trying to process the information Tori just gave her. She says nothing, just looks at Tori, frowning slightly. Tori smiles sympathetically and shrugs.

-[Scene change]

Beck rushes down the stairs, calling to Tori. "We got him," he pants, out of breath. "He ran all the way to the boys' locker room. Andre's bringing him back now."

"Yay!" Tori celebrates and does a mini happy dance in the hallway. Beck grins and shakes his head.

A moment later, Andre comes into view, towing Robbie behind him, who is struggling to get away. Tori and Beck run over to help.

"No…okay…hold on…..just…wait…." Words fly around as the three friends struggle to keep Robbie from running away again. Finally he stops.

"OKAY!" He yells. His plaid, button down shirt is all out of line and his glasses are falling off his face. Rex is nowhere to be seen.

"You and Cat need to talk," Andre insists.

"Why?" he shoots back, fixing his shirt and glasses. "She still doesn't know. I mean, it's okay, I can….live with the pain…."

"Actually, I told her everything. So you don't really have a choice."

Robbie's mouth falls open. "You—"

"C'mon, you got this," says Beck, patting him on the back. "Just go for it."

He sighs loudly. "I don't—Oh, never mind. Where is she?" Tori points, a smile beginning to form on her face. She's confident everything will work out soon.

Cat is leaning against the wall by the Wahoo Punch vending machine, watching the group. Her face is blank. There is no sign of how she's feeling. She begins to walk toward Robbie. Robbie, his hands in his pockets, slowly and awkwardly walks toward Cat. They meet in the middle of the hall. Cat plays with her hands; she's starting to look worried.

"Hey, Cat."

"Hi…."

"So. Tori told you?"

"Yeah." Cat looks away, takes a deep breath, and starts to say something else. But then grabs Robbie's arm and pulls him into the janitor's closet. Once inside, she closes the door, and stands near the wall. She hugs her stuffed giraffe to her chest.

"You know, you could have told me," Cat says softly after a moment.

"I know! I know. I guess, I was just afraid you wouldn't like me back. I mean, sure, I'm always flirting with other girls," he flips his hair back, trying to look cool as if he's had a million girls falling all over him, "but you and I are friends. And if I asked you out, and you said no, our whole friendship would be ruined." He pauses. Now he's hunched over a little, looking sad. "And, I don't want that," he said quietly.

Cat doesn't know what to do. She avoids eye contact with Robbie. She seems to want to say something, but can't find the words. Then Cat sets her giraffe down and takes a tiny step forward. She hesitantly puts her hands on Robbie's shoulders, and looks up at him, wide eyed. She pauses, unsure of herself, while Robbie stands there, speechless. Finally, Cat closes the gap between them; her hands move to Robbie's face and she pushes her lips against his.

Robbie's hands travel through Cat's hair as he kisses her back. They stay like that for a few moments, then break apart. Cat doesn't move her hands from Robbie's shoulders. She smiles.

"I—so, you….I mean…" Robbie is unable to make a clear sentence. "You like me?" he finally squeaks, giddy with excitement.

Cat nods and giggles. Then she kisses him again.

_-Tori's phone: "Yay! Everything is all better now! Well, except for one thing. (Considering what we're about to do, I don't feel safe being near Jade right now.) Mood: Excited"_

Tori, Beck, Andre, Robbie, Cat, and Jade all walk backstage at the Garage Place. "Hey, you said we were going to the movies!" Jade says angrily when she sees where they are.

Beck guiltily runs his hand through his hair, grinning. "Yeah, I lied."

Jade glares at him. "You _what_?"

"You need to get rid of your stage fright, Jade!" says Tori.

"Yeah!" echoes Cat, who is clinging to Robbie.

"No."

"The girls'll help you get into costume. You can't quit now," says Andre, holding up Jade's outfit. "Besides, the play starts in like, five minutes, so you don't really have a choice."

"This could be your only chance to perform here," Beck tells Jade. "You can't mess this up. I know you'll do an awesome job." When Jade tries to leave, he grabs her arm. "I'm not letting you run away."

"Leave me alone! I'm not doing this!" Jade yells, clearly disturbed. The group erupts into an argument, everyone yelling and talking at the same time. Suddenly, the curtain starts to open. The play is supposed to start, but they are all still right in the middle of the stage. The audience watches them, silent. Everyone freezes.

"Can we run away now?" Jade says, moving her mouth as little as possible.

"Yeah, lets…." Robbie says at the same time Beck murmurs, "Now would be a good time." The rest agree and they all dart offstage. All except Cat.

"Guys?" she calls, confused. "Tori?" she looks around. "Robbie? Beck? Jade?" She takes a few steps, uncertain of where to go. "Andre? Guys! Helloooo!" And the curtain begins to close.


End file.
